“Like poetry or freedom / leaning in from sea”: a reconsideration of the topography of Heaney’s poetry

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe presence of the sea in Seamus Heaney’s poetry is often overlooked in favour of a rural landscape. While the importance of the bog, ditches and fields should not be ignored, this paper refocuses critical attention towards the coastal sea and open ocean in Heaney’s work. Beginning with a discussion of previous ecocritical readings of Heaney’s poetry, this paper demonstrates the need for a fuller consideration of the topography of his work. The sea, in fact, appears at key points throughout his oeuvre, offering freedom and poetic clarity. Unconstrained by the preserved, ritual violence of the bog, the sea becomes a space in which to contemplate the complexities of these land-based concerns, while still remaining connected to community. Its constant flux and fluidity comes to offer the poet stability in times of crises. Yet, not all of the figures of Heaney’s poetry experience liberation at sea as the women of Heaney’s poetry are shown to be excluded from its freeing qualities. The paper plots an alternate route through Heaney’s oeuvre, highlighting not only the importance of the sea to the poet but also the value of turning critical attention to this element.